Our Vision
We envision an awesome, healthy, architecturally beautiful, diverse, cohesive community of choice built on mutual respect and shared responsibility. We embrace all diversity: from race, gender, and sexual orientation to economic, education, and housing choice. Our diversity is our strength.
Our Mission
The Southwest Partnership aims to maintain this vision through productive land uses and partnerships that will maintain a cohesive community. We partner with our neighbors, surrounding communities, city government, area institutions, and businesses, knowing that when we take the right road together, and with integrity, everyone will benefit.
Planning Process
The Southwest Partnership began in 2012 as a small group of concerned community leaders who were concerned with the high concentration of drug treatment facilities in the area, and began working to change it. They realized that having the seven local neighborhoods work as a collective was more effective than having them working independently. The neighborhood leadership representatives invited local institutions to join the initiative, recognizing that these anchor institutions had a direct relationship with the strength and health of the local communities they served.
The need for a community-created Master Plan for the Southwest Partnership area became apparent during the initial organizing meetings and community forums. The planning process was led by a Steering Committee of community members and anchor institution representatives.
Within six months, the Steering Committee and workgroups were able to reach out to consultants to help with the planning process with funding from the anchor institutions and area foundation partners. The consultants would focus on urban design, commercial development, and housing, and Gensler Baltimore worked with community members to create the Vision Plan document.
In September 2015 the Vision Plan was adopted by the Baltimore City Planning Commission. The Vision Plan can be viewed below, or you can request a paper copy by contacting us (667-210-2105 or email staff@swpbal.org).
Vision Plan Research
These documents went into the formation of the SWP Vision Plan or provide updates to it.
Commercial Development
Retail Studies:
- 2022: Retail Study Update by BAE Economics
- 2014: Commercial Development Study by CLUE (Community Land Use and Economics Group. A professional study of the SWP area, including market gaps, potential businesses to take advantage of local purchasing, and suggested commercial development strategies.
A Toolkit for Commercial Revitalization on West Baltimore Street. This toolkit, created by the Historic Preservation Studio at the University of Maryland College Park. This toolkit offers a history if West Baltimore Street, a guide to building types, and information on incentives available for the revitalization of historic commercial buildings.
Design a Public Market, Socially: A process of transformation in Hollins Market. A thesis project by Peggy Liao, a Masters in Social Design Student at MICA. It provides perspectives on Hollins Market from the points of view of the management, merchants, and community members and offers ideas about how to build connections and relationships between the Market and the community in order to strengthen the Market.
Housing Development
Housing Market Analysis by Zimmerman and Volk. A professional study of the housing market in the SWP area, which includes information on city and regional housing markets and attracting new residents to the area.
Historic Preservation
A Toolkit for Commercial Revitalization on West Baltimore Street. This toolkit, created by the Historic Preservation Studio at the University of Maryland College Park, offers information about the history of buildings and the community on West Baltimore Street, a guide to evaluating the condition and historic character of buildings, and information about resources available for the renovation and preservation of historic buildings.
